Notes / Commercial Description:
Fluxus '09 was brewed in the style of the traditional Saison. For our twist, we added sweet potatoes, black pepper and a generous amount of hops. Sweet potatoes not only enhance its pale orange appearance, they contribute significant body. Centennial hops produce a bold grapefruit aroma, which is followed by a mild, honeysuckle sweetness. The intensity of both the pepper and hops are felt throughout, leaving a lingering warmth on the tongue. Papya, citrus and pepper dominate the flavor profile.

Reviews by nas5755:

More User Reviews:

Poured into a goblet, the beer was a hazy orange color with a thick, off-white head. Sweet fruity aroma. Spicy and peppery, kind of tickled the nose. Lots of different tastes: yeasty, yammy, pepper, sharp metallic. Crisp finish. This was a very enjoyable beer, and complimented my Thanksgiving turkey quite well.

Pours a murky brownish-orange with a white head. The aroma is Belgian yeast with some fruit. You also get some pepper. The flavor is your basic saison with yeast, some light funk and some pepper. You also get a taste in the aftertaste that is somewhat sweet and could be from the sweet potatoes. Medium mouthfeel and high carbonation. Not sure if you can taste the potatoes or not, but the pepper is definitely there and this is a very solid American-made saison.

Pours a hazy gold color with a one-finger white head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of light fruits with a decent amount of spices and a hint of funk.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Crisp light fruit flavors and mildly sweet malt flavors up front segue into somewhat spicy flavors and hints of citrus midway through the sip. A small amount of funk comes in before a crisp and slightly sweet ending.

Mouthfeel is good. There's a good thickness with active carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I finished my glass fairly quickly and could have another.

Overall I enjoyed this a lot. I certainly didn't notice the sweet potato. The spices were noticeable however I'm not sure I would have picked up black pepper specifically. At any rate this one's worth a shot.

Pours a golden orange. Fluffy white head. Semi clear. Smells of feet and dried apricot. Maybe some peach and mango. Taste is dominated by Belgian yeast. Lots of phenol here with some fruit. Just a solid fruity saison, nothing unique. Mouthfeel is light to just about medium.

S - Cloves and sweetness of belgian yeast, akin to a good belgian blonde (a la Troubadour, T'Gaverhopke, etc.). Not quite as advertised so slightly boring.

T - Mild phenols, clove-like, hits the palate first. Much of the taste is rounded out by belgian spice akin to a blonde. However, finishes with robust black pepper and an odd earthyness. After about half a glass the earthiness identified itself as close to a sweet potato puree. Notes of bitter hops at moments. Basically, as advertised. With certain sips, sweetness tends to almost a candied sugar.

M - Creamy in the forefront while the spice is abundant but turns crisp and slightly biting when the flavor turns. Earthiness lingers after each sip.

D - Very interesting brew with sweet potato. Not something I've seen before without being sickeningly sweet. I give this big time points for the experimentation. Ultimately, lose the sweet potato and this would be a world class belgian blonde/saison.

Served a deep hazy darker orange color with a very thin white head. I would blame this more on the pour than the beer as my wife's beer came out that way too, and it was a different beer.

Aroma was good and strong, nice Belgian aroma with a nice strong spice to it.

The taste was very good. I didn't get the sweet potato or pepper that the menu stated that it was brewed with, but a very good Belgian taste, more sweet with some nice spice.

The beer had a medium body to it. Smooth, refreshing and very easy to drink. The carbonation level seemed to be a bit elevated, but not overly so. The alcohol was not a factor. The beer went very well with pizza.

Thanks to Mike and Jen for bringing this bottle down for Christmas. A saison with sweet potatoes and black peppercorns.

I'm curious about the sweet potato aspect. Potatoes are starches and generally flavorless, so what do they do here?

A: The saison is a pale gold color, clear, blanketed by a half finger of white head that left no lace behind.

S: I really like the zest of the nose. Candi sugars and Belgian yeast are present, followed by a dash of peppery heat.

T: The saison has a sweetness that runs throughout the entire glass. Candi sugars and coriander, along with Belgian yeast, drive the flavors with a pale fruit taste. Pepper is zesty, easily the highlight of the beer. No trace of booze, which is dangerous.

M: Potato never really stood out, answering my initial question. Despite the lack of spuds, I like the saison and its pepper emphasis.

Bottle: Poured a bright hazy orangey color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some pretty good lacing. Aroma of rustic ester with some great notes of spices and some sweet undertones. Taste is a great mix between some Belgian-style malt with residual sweetness, some rustic notes and a light peppery yeast. Body is quite full with limited filtration and good bottle-conditioning with great carbonation and no signs of alcohol. Very well brewed, easily drinkable with loads of complexity though no yam could be detected.

A - Cloudy orange-amber with a 1/2 inch head of soapy white that leaves some sudsy lacing as it recedes.
S - Sweet caramel malt, spicy yeast, black pepper, and an earthy quality, perhaps the sweet potato? Sweet is the operative word here.
T - More sweet malt dominates along with some spicy Belgian-style yeast and black pepper. Not really getting any of the sweet potato, again just a general "earthy" quality. Finish is nice and dry, and the flavors linger for some time. I don't really see how this is a Saison, but it's not bad anyway.
M - Medium-thin bodied with fairly crisp carbonation. ABV starts creeping up in the back of the throat.
O - Not bad, nor overly memorable. Not sure what I was expecting from a "Saison brewed with sweet potatoes and black pepper", but this wasn't it.

s: full Belgian pale malts support spicy noble hops, while I don't pick up on the sweet potato it may be the source of the unusually rich body of this saison, the pepper is obvious but has been so perfectly worked in that it might not be picked up without prior knowledge, really nice dose of yeasty funk ties things together

m: cuts towards the heavier side for a saison but this is not a detractor by any means, the carbonation starts off well - nice and lively - but dies back a little too much while I sip thorough

t: pale malt body lightened a bit with pilsner or some such but still on the strong side, the swallow brings mildly spicy peppercorn and a refreshing mint coolness, again the sweet potato does not stand out but I'm betting it contributes to the generally rich flavor rather than being a distinct component, moderate yeasty farmhouse flavors, aged earthy hops dry things out and impart a delicate bitterness, one of the richer versions of the style out there that still maintains great balance

d: no issues here, a drinkable saison that's packed with character - perfect for the summer-fall transition

750mL bottle that I picked up from who knows where about 2 years ago...been holding onto it for the right occasion. That turned out to be homemade sweet potato fries. Who'd have thought? Poured into a tulip.

Crisp and clear amber in color, and lively carbonation are evident. The cork nearly pushes itself out of the bottle. The head is coarse, fine, and disappears quickly. Streamers remain, and they look pretty as they fizz through the botdy of the beer.

The aroma and flavor are very similar. Initial impressions are of bready yeast, white pepper, clove, and a balance with the black pepper that was added to the brew. Hints of sweetness and brown sugar. There is a very mild flavor of sweet potato that comes together way better than I expected it to. Very well rounded, the finish is dry and leaves a hint of brown sugar, light molasses, and again, the spice. Lacking some fruity esters, lacking any funk, which I suppose it didn't need, but Allagash does great stuff with their brett strain, so I was hoping.

Spritzy and light on the palate, Allagash continues to impress with their Belgian offerings. Another well-balanced ale that manages to be both unique and delicious.

Pours a hazy golden/orange color with a decent sized head, fades a bit fast and doesn't leave any lacing.

Smell has a bit of the Belgian spiciness with malt sweetness and candied sugar.

Taste is quite unique, starts off with the sweet candied sugar and a light funk, not picking up any of the sweet potatoes like I do with another Maine beer that utilizes yams, then the aftertaste hits with a bit of peppery spice, it doesn't add any real heat but just a peppery kick that you don't see too often beer.

A: Rather cloudy. Holding the bottle up to the light, I could see particles floating throughout the beer, and sediment in the bottom. It has a pleasing golden orange color (from the sweet potato?)reminding me of a weissbier. The head will explode from a hard pour

S: Somewhat funky from the bottle, but the aromas opened up a bit more in the glass giving a bit of hoppiness and sweetness as well. Hints of pepper.

T: Sweet up front overlaid by some tartness that lingers till the hoppy bitterness takes over at the end. Occasionally a different taste in the back of the mouth, perhaps the sweet potato, but not definitive.

M: Medium. Not sticky at all. Leaves a dry, almost tingly feeling on the tongue. Very nice.

D: By the end of the bottle, the ABV had me sipping more than drinking, but this beer is very easy to swallow.

While at first being perhaps disappointing in some respects I ended up really enjoying this beer. Whether it was the mood-enhancing effects of the ABV or not, I would definitely say this beer grew on me. I had to go back and upgrade 3 of my scores.

750 ml bottle poured into a Unibroue tulip. White head floats on top of a straw/golden/yellow body. Am I smelling some cotton candy or bubblegum and a bit of wet cardboard? Very interesting. Some typical Allagash funk in the nose and a bit in the taste. Really hard to pick out specific flavors in the taste but I actually think this is a compliment of sorts to the balance of the beer. I don't actually taste sweet potatoes or black pepper, just a refreshing blend of hops and mild saison yeast taste with some funk as fluxus warms into a highly delicious brew. In typical Allagash fashion, the alcohol is completely masked by the smoothness of the flavors. Can't wait to try another one in a year or so....